09.17.25 A Homebuyer’s Budget Reckoning / First Hand Knowledge Of Second Hand Stores

Summary

The Clark Howard Podcast – Episode Summary

Episode: 09.17.25 – "A Homebuyer’s Budget Reckoning / First Hand Knowledge Of Second Hand Stores"
Date: September 17, 2025
Host: Clark Howard

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Overview

This episode focuses on two major themes:

1. The harsh budget realities facing homebuyers today: Clark gives a candid assessment of rising housing costs, the need for personal budgeting over rigid formulas, and practical steps to avoid financial stress when considering a home purchase.
2. The growing value of secondhand shopping: Clark shares his personal tips and firsthand experiences with thrift stores and secondhand shopping as inflation and price pressures increase.

Listener questions sprinkled throughout cover renters insurance, credit building for students, investment for children, and sage advice on post-divorce financial moves. The show closes with a moving listener story about escaping debt and achieving financial independence.

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Main Topics and Insights

1. Housing Costs: The Homebuyer’s Budget Reckoning

[00:40 – 06:09]

• The unprecedented burden: Clark highlights that in some U.S. markets, half of a household’s income goes to housing—an unsustainable squeeze that forces tough budget choices elsewhere.
  • "Number one place people's money is going is to housing... But what's different is the stressor of what people are having to pay for housing." — Clark ([00:52])
• Case in point – LA living: Clark shares his daughter’s situation—paying over $2,000/month for a 310 sq ft studio in Los Angeles—as an example of extreme market pressures.
• Formulas vs. reality:
  • While the historic formula suggests housing shouldn't surpass a quarter of take-home pay, “people are spending more than a third usually” today ([02:48]).
  • Clark warns, “Don’t think about the formulas. Think about where your dollars are going.”
• The True Cost of Homeownership:
  • Clark urges listeners to focus not only on the mortgage but also on taxes, insurance, and—crucially—maintenance and repairs, which many buyers “conveniently forget about” ([03:42]).
  • "Honesty with yourself up front eliminates a lot of heartache later." ([05:54])
• Clark's Core Advice:
  • “Be honest with yourself. Don't just say 'I’m going to stretch.’ How are you going to stretch? Where’s the money going to come from?” ([04:51])
  • Sometimes, achieving homeownership “means you take a part time job… or you just keep driving what you got because it’s paid for.”

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2. Listener Q&A: Practical Consumer Advice

a) Dorm Room Renters Insurance

[06:09 – 07:55]

• Question (Lydia, Colorado): Should renters insurance for a dorm be bundled through USAA or bought separately?
• Clark’s Answer: Check if a claim on renters insurance impacts your home insurance rates. If so, buy an independent policy.
  • “You don’t want a position where a little claim… would be a mark against you on your homeowner's policy. That would haunt you for a long time.” ([07:39])
  • Find how-tos for independent policies on Clark.com.

b) Students and Credit Building

[07:55 – 10:01]

• Question (Monica, Pennsylvania): Should her college senior daughter apply for a student credit card for credit-building?
• Clark’s Answer: Absolutely—apply for student cards before graduation when approval is easier. Recommends Discover and Capital One student cards.
  • “First card people have tends to create brand loyalty that lasts for decades.” ([08:43])
  • “Your daughter will be in great shape if she gets one or two cards while she’s a senior.” ([09:36])

c) Investing for Kids’ Future Home Buys

[10:01 – 13:09]

• Question (Ron, Massachusetts): Wants funds for kids (10 & 13) for eventual property purchase—what’s safe but higher yield than CDs?
• Clark’s Answer: Use Fidelity “zero funds” in investment accounts, not CDs which only “fight inflation, not grow beyond it.”
  • “CDs and savings accounts are really parking spaces for money. They're not places where money works for you.” ([12:32])
  • Recommends dollar-cost averaging into index funds with long-term perspective.

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3. Saving Big Money with Secondhand Shopping

[15:36 – 21:05]

• Clark’s Cheapness Philosophy:
  • “It is true. I’m really cheap. And one of the places I like to go are secondhand stores. I go to thrift stores routinely.” ([15:36])
• Why It Matters More: With inflation and tariffs, thrift stores and pawn shops are crucial for stretching family budgets.
• Not All Thrift Stores Are Equal:
  • Different stores have different merchandise and quality; “I could tell in 30 seconds in a secondhand store if I should be looking at the clothing or not.”
• Gender Differences in Secondhand Fashion:
  • “Buying secondhand clothes is not easy [for guys] because guys tend to wear clothes till they're ratty… then they donate. Women… the stuff may still have the new tag on it.” ([17:21])
• Furniture Finds:
  • “Used furniture… has sellers at all different price points from designer secondhand goods all the way down.”
• Success Stories:
  • Clark’s wife buys almost all her (fashionable) clothing secondhand.
  • Example of a local Seattle thrift store pivoting to online sales during COVID, turning adversity into opportunity: “It's how you adapt to adversity that makes such a difference…” ([20:31])

Listener Perspective:

• “I try to go to places where I know people spend a lot of money on their clothes and then donate them... it saves you so much money.” — Female listener ([19:33])

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4. Additional Listener Questions: Real-Life Guidance

a) Post-Divorce Lump Sum: Home-Buying & Career Caution

[21:05 – 24:58]

• Question (Astrid, Utah): Wants to buy a house and start a business after divorce—advice?
• Clark’s Guidance:
  • Avoid rushing into too many changes post-divorce: "You may find that you start working more hours than the 50 you are right now…" ([21:55])
  • Invest only the cash portion into a home, leave retirement funds untouched: "Please don't do that... leave that be invested in the 401k." ([22:54])
  • Advice to all: After trauma, “better to be methodical and slow walk making decisions.”

b) Longtime Listener’s Debt-Free Retirement

[25:00 – 27:25]

• Kitty in Georgia:
  • Orange story of turning around from deep debt (credit cards, student loans) to total financial independence and a perfect 850 credit score, thanks to Clark’s advice.
  • “Because of you, I went to consumer credit counseling… It was not easy, but I managed to get my debt paid off.” — Kitty ([25:42])
  • Paid off mortgage, car, and all debt—retired early.
  • “I want everyone to know that it really is possible to get out of the hole if you stop digging.” ([27:18])
• Clark’s Response:
  • Praises Kitty’s perseverance: “It required a complete change in mentality and how you approach money and then the discipline to save and invest.” ([27:13])
  • Reiterates that slow, incremental progress wins: “I used to say I was the turtle, but... I’m actually a tortoise. But the point is slow and steady wins. And that's exactly what you did.” ([27:39])

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On budgeting for homeownership:
  • “It’s not just the mortgage. You have to factor in the taxes and insurance… and that’s maintenance and repairs that come with it. And so you have to plan for those too.” — Clark ([03:30])
• On post-trauma decision making:
  • “It pays off better to be methodical and slow walk making decisions that are major in your life right now.” — Clark ([24:30])
• On financial independence:
  • “You prove with a liberal arts degree that you were able to tackle all those responsibilities…Pay them off, build a life of independence, own everything free and clear...” — Clark ([27:21])

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Key Timestamps

| Segment | Time | |------------------------------------------------|--------------| | Housing costs and honest budgeting | 00:40–06:09 | | Q&A: Renters insurance for college students | 06:09–07:55 | | Q&A: Student credit cards | 07:55–10:01 | | Q&A: Investing for children’s future homes | 10:01–13:09 | | Secondhand/thrift store shopping | 15:36–21:05 | | Q&A: Post-divorce finance and business | 21:05–24:58 | | Listener story: Debt-free retirement | 25:00–27:25 |

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Summary

This episode is a practical, empathetic guide for anyone facing homebuying anxiety, looking to maximize budgets, or seeking real advice for challenging financial crossroads. Through rich storytelling, no-nonsense budgeting wisdom, and concrete examples, Clark and his listeners remind us that “slow and steady wins”—whether saving for a house, shopping at thrift stores, or clawing back from debt.

”What we’re about is not the quick fix, not the shortcut—I’m an incrementalist…slow and steady wins. And that's exactly what you did.” — Clark ([27:39])

Transcript

[Progressive Insurance/Apple Card Announcer]

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[Clark Howard]

It'S my pleasure to welcome you here to the Clark Howard Show. You know our mission is to provide you with advice and information that empowers you to make better financial decisions in your life. I hope you're enjoying our podcasts and our YouTube shows. Please share an episode with a friend who you think might enjoy our show. Our Content in this episode I want to talk about something that is a real beast of a burden right now on Individuals, live alone, couples, families, what you're having to pay for housing costs. And later I want to talk to you about shopping, saving big in places that might not be normally where you think of going. Right now I want to talk about where our wallets going. Number one place people's money is going is to housing and that's as it has been. But what's different is the stressor of what people are having to pay for housing. And there are certain markets in the United States that half of what people make is going to putting a roof over their heads. That means everything else gets squeezed out. Telling you everything gets squeezed out, particularly in the highest cost markets, the us. It is a price pressure that is only relieved from people who make a lot more than typical money or people who roommate up or people who go into a very very small space. My daughter who lives in Los Angeles lives in just right about 300. As best I walked it off it was about 310 square feet, just slightly more than 300 square feet. And what she pays per month is over $2,000 a month for slightly more than 300 square feet. And that's what it takes in really really expensive places. If you don't live in Boston or New York or Seattle, Portland used to be up there with Seattle and cost San Francisco L A housing costs are more variable. So I want to talk about formulas. The historical formula is that you should be using just a little more than a quarter of your net take home on housing and people are spending a lot more people Are spending more than a third usually. But I want to talk about an important squeeze play. Just a couple days ago I talked about how for the first time there was a little glimmer of a slight crease of a smile on the faces of potential home buyers. Conditions have eased in a lot of the country just a little bit giving a little bit of hope that you might be able to buy a place to live. And I know there's all these formulas about percents of money you should be using for housing and all that, but I want you to think about this. Don't think about the formulas. I want you to think about what are you paying per month to rent dollars? Where are your other dollars going? Serious deep dive. Where's your money going? And if you buy a place, how much more per month is that place going to cost? It's not just the mortgage. You have to factor in the taxes and insurance. You also have to factor in another thing and it's the one that most home buyers conveniently forget about and that's maintenance and repairs that come with it. And so you have to plan for those too. Is it realistic in your budget that you can take your housing cost up whatever amount it would be accounting for the numbers you can know the mortgage, the taxes, the insurance and then the number you don't know adding in that padding for repairs and maintenance. Can you do it? Can you do it in your budget? Because you don't want to just hope and it's all going to be fine. Because truth is, people are struggling. A lot of people who took out mortgages and bought a first home in the last few years are struggling now paying their bills. So be honest with yourself. Don't just say I'm going to stretch. How are you going to stretch? Where's the money going to come from? Does it mean you take a part time job to achieve what you want buying that home? Does it mean that historically you've gotten new wheels every so often and now you just keep driving what you got because it's paid for? What are the changes you have to make that it's realistic for you to buy a home in today's market conditions? Honesty with yourself up front eliminates a lot of heartache later.

[Caller/Listener]

All right, questions came in from all over the place and this one's from Lydia in Colorado. Mark, thanks for all you do. I'm looking at renters insurance from my daughter living in a dorm. I'm thinking of adding coverage for her phone, iPad and computer rented from the school. The computer's rented from school for $4 a month. Renters insurance through USAA where I have home and auto is $10 a month including the $4 a month for electronics.

[Clark Howard]

Wait, wait, wait. The renters Insurance is only six bucks a month. Add $4 more for the technology.

[Caller/Listener]

Well, think about it. A dorm room, there's probably not much.

[Clark Howard]

Have you seen, you know, you've got a kid in college. How people some clam up the dorm room.

[Caller/Listener]

Some people. But still, I mean, okay. Do you recommend getting renters insurance through a different insurer? Would a claim on renters insurance increase my auto or home rates? I think the most likely claim would be on her phone or iPad or computer.

[Clark Howard]

So Lydia, gosh, I'm thrilled you're asking this question. And since you're usaa, call and ask them the question. Is this renters insurance policy, if a claim is against it, is that going to be a claim against your homeowners? If it is, then you want to buy an independent renters policy. There are many available. We have information for you on clark.com about how to buy one independently and you were so on the money that you don't want to be in a position where a little claim on renters insurance would be a mark against you on your homeowner's policy. That would haunt you for a long time. So you're really thinking quite wisely about it. But that renters insurance, that's a cheap premium.

[Caller/Listener]

Monica in Pennsylvania says Clark, I'm a huge fan of your show and listen daily. I love everything about the show including your goofy laugh.

[Clark Howard]

Do I have a goofy laugh?

[Caller/Listener]

I don't think so. Quick question. My daughter is a senior in College. She's 21 and has been using a Wells Fargo debit card her whole life to make purchases. My husband and I added her to our American Express Platinum card about three years ago as an authorized user per your recommendation to help her build a credit score. Would now be a good time for her to apply for a student credit card as another way for her to build credit 100% and P.S. she's extremely wise regarding money and even has a Roth IRA which she contributes to monthly. If you think she should apply for a new credit card, which one is best for her? Travel points are not important.

[Clark Howard]

So there are lots of student cards. Now the most common one is the Discover student card program. That's a place where Capital One has established that's who owns Discover is established a big presence among college students because the first card people have tends to create a brand loyalty that lasts for decades. And so Discover has been front and center on that. They're not the only one, but they have a variety of student cards, including ones you said it doesn't matter, but ones that have Rewards. I think 1%.

[Caller/Listener]

My daughter has a capital one that.

[Clark Howard]

Has that capital one student card. Yeah, yeah. So that is something I want any college senior to do before you get out of college to get cards in your own name because the credit card companies lower their normal requirements for approval for students that as soon as they graduate, the normal rules come into play. And so you, your daughter will be in great shape if she gets one or two cards while she's a senior that she can then use once she's graduated and earning hopefully a wonderful paycheck after college.

[Caller/Listener]

Ron in Massachusetts says. Hi Clark, thanks for helping me start my Roth journey. I have money for my children sitting in a CD ladder. They are 10 and 13. I want this money to grow and be used for buying property when they are of age. What's a safe way to invest it so it can grow more quickly than 4 to 5%? And how do I approach taxes?

[Clark Howard]

Okay, so taxes are minimal unless you've got a lot of money sitting in the CD ladders. So I don't know what you mean by safe because inflation is the biggest enemy you have. And if you want to really help the kids later in life when they're at the point they are looking at buying their first place, then you want the money in an investment account, not savings. And yes, you put money in an investment account and in the short term you have a lot of up and down risk. But longer term investment accounts have much higher returns and better tax treatment than money in CDs or savings accounts. So I would look with young kids at opening accounts for them at Fidelity Investments and put them in Fidelity zero funds, funds that have no commission and no ongoing expenses, then invest either in the wide US stock market or international. You'll go, if you go to fidelity.com you can look at kids accounts. Your 13 year old I think is already eligible to have a limited action account. 10 year old, not old enough yet, but can have a custodial account with Fidelity. And the zero fund seemed to me the best place. And as the CDs mature, you add to those accounts. So you're essentially dollar cost averaging into investment accounts for your kids. With the idea being in, let's say 15 years from now, they will have far more growth and better tax treatment on the account in that than they would have in a CD ladder. And yes, markets go down and it can be scary. Drops like the steepest roller coaster you've seen. They can have rocket like returns for a while, but if you look at the longer term, they will way outperform what your kids will earn in the CD ladder. CDs and savings accounts are really parking spaces for money. They're not places where money works for you. The money just kind of sits there fighting inflation, not growing beyond it. Coming up ahead. Speaking of inflation, how are people stretching their dollars now? I'll tell you what I've been doing to get more value out of every dollar and it absolutely works. And your choices are growing exponentially.

[Caller/Listener]

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[Clark Howard]

When you need it.

[Caller/Listener]

Learn [e-mail].

[Don McDonald]

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[Clark Howard]

So it is true. I'm really cheap. And one of the places I like to go are secondhand stores. I go to thrift stores routinely and thrift stores are not one size fits all the merchandise they target that they sell is completely different, one thrift store to another. What's available online? Buying secondhand. My wife buys almost everything she wears secondhand and she's really fashion oriented. And so thrifting, thrift stores, secondhand stores been around forever, right? What's different now because the price pressures affecting so many of us from the years of inflation we've been through the last six and now unfortunately potentially escalating for a while because of tariffs, that thrift stores play a bigger role in helping you stretch your dollars. No doubt. And something that most people drive right by and never even notice is another place you might consider looking. And that's pawn shops. Pawn shops or something. Even people go to thrift stores. A lot of them are like, I'm not walking in a pawn shop. Then I'd ask why not? Why wouldn't you? Because if you look at what something costs, new versus used, I mean, come on now, for a guy, I'll tell you, buying secondhand clothes is not easy because guys tend to wear clothes till they're ratty, till they have holes in them, till they're faded, then they donate. Women, on the other hand, a lot of items women donate to thrift stores or ones that you put stuff on consignment, the stuff may still have the new tag in it. A real opportunity to save. Not as frequent, almost never for guys. The one thing I'll find that I can buy clothing wise as a guy, often a suit or a sport coat. And most of what I have, I bought secondhand. And they're so cheap buying them that way. And so this is an opportunity on so many items to save. I talked months ago about the opportunities with used furniture. And the used furniture category now has sellers at all different price points from designer secondhand goods all the way down to people selling old IKEA stuff at a secondhand store. So this is something that if you feel like you're just feeling that financial pressure everywhere you turn. And historically, this is not something you felt like you wanted to do. Let me tell you. I do it. And I'll tell you about. Recently, I went on a tour of a number of secondhand stores. And it was specific reason for a family member, but I'd always go looking at the clothing, and I could tell in really the first. I realized I've done this so much, I could tell in 30 seconds in a secondhand store if I should be looking at the clothing or not. Sometimes it's treasure. Sometimes, at least for me, it's trash.

[Caller/Listener]

Okay.

[Clark Howard]

Do you. Do you buy secondhand clothing?

[Caller/Listener]

Yeah, I do.

[Clark Howard]

Do you have your favorite secondhand stores or how do you buy it?

[Caller/Listener]

Yeah, there are a couple I really like. I try to go to places where I know people spend a lot of money on their clothes and then donate them a lot. Like neighborhoods like that. If they have a thrift store, I'll go there and try to find what I can. So, yeah, especially if I need, like a special occasion dress, kind of like you with the suits. It's a great thing to get because people will wear something once and then they donate it, and it saves you so much money. I'm surprised with you, honestly. You spend so little on your clothes. You're probably beating the thrift store prices anyway. Literally.

[Clark Howard]

So. My wife loves one particular thrift store in Seattle that had been a local only thrift store. And then during COVID when Seattle was locked down, they started selling clothes online and doing a. A daily show on, I guess, Instagram or something. And now they've got this huge national audience.

[Caller/Listener]

Wow.

[Clark Howard]

And it was weird how, you know, how businesses had to adapt during COVID so many different ways, and how for this business, they went from being a small, local boutique, kind of high end, what you're talking about, high end secondhand women's clothing to being this big national player. And it only happened because they adapted during COVID And I always talk about in adversity, you never know what the adversity is. It's how you adapt to adversity that makes such a difference in your own life or in your own business.

[Caller/Listener]

So true. All right. This came in from Astrid in Utah, who's going through a tough situation. Astrid says, hi, Clark. I'm getting $150,000 from my divorce, plus another $150,000 from his 401k to my 401k. I want to be smart with this money. So my primary plan is to buy a house for me and my two children. I'm 41 with a full time job in the medical field, but I work closer to 50 hours a week, sometimes more. I would like to invest some of this money in a business that can give me more free time to be with my children. But I'm unsure what to do and I need some advice.

[Clark Howard]

So. Astrid, I'm really sorry about the pain you're going through with your divorce. And one thing I want you to think about is that if you start doing your own thing in order to have more flexibility with your children, you may find that you start working more hours than the 50 you are right now at your job in the medical field. That's something that I don't want you to try to make too much change in your life all at once. And when you talk about doing something, you said investing in a business that could give you more free time, it's got to be when you're going to go out on your own. It's got to be in the field. You already know in some way if your expertise, training and education is in the medical field, how can you do that on your own instead of working for someone else? And what kind of realistic schedule can you have? You don't want to just at this point in your life Throw out at 41 what you've done and start clean sheet with a whole new career. You want to draw at this point on the knowledge base and experience and training you already have and what you seek to do. But you may, again, I want to emphasize, you may going out and doing your own thing. You may have more flexibility as to schedule, but the hours you work likely will increase, not decrease when you go out on your own. As for buying a home, I. I couldn't tell from what you said if you would take the 150 in cash and use it towards a home, or if you were thinking of the additional money in your 401k also making that part of the home purchase. Please don't do that. Leave. Since you got this opportunity of having this booster shot to your 401k, I want you to leave that be invested in the 401k. And the money that you have to put towards buying your own place should come from the 150 you got. That's free and clear, not in an investment account. And I want to wish you the best moving forward as you reestablish a new life with your children.

[Caller/Listener]

I also wanted to say, just on a personal note, I have some friends that have gone through this experience, gotten divorced and they immediately wanted to buy a house just to have that security for their kids. But it, you know, going back to what you talked about at the top of the podcast, like maybe think through whether you have to buy right now. If it's not, you know, if things aren't favorable for that. I don't know what the situation is, but.

[Clark Howard]

Well, it is normal that when somebody goes through a traumatic life experience and more often than not a divorce is that that they want to just clean sheet everything, start over a new, do all kinds of things at once and it pays off. Better to be methodical and slow walk making decisions that are major in your life right now because I have a.

[Caller/Listener]

Couple friends that they're now sort of in trouble because they did that too.

[Clark Howard]

Quickly and they bought a house too.

[Caller/Listener]

Yeah. Yeah. Okay. I'm going to go to Kitty in Georgia here. Kitty says this is kind of a long one, but I really wanted to read it to you. Clark. I hope this gets to Clark himself because I need to know that he knows this. I started listening to Clark in 1992. I was about to turn 30. I was in the process of getting myself into big credit card trouble. I was a girl born in 1962 and anything money related was not a part of my education. By 1995, I was in serious debt and living paycheck to paycheck, saving nothing and only making minimum payments on my debt. On top of that, my student loans on an MFA in theater, acting and directing were completely unmanageable and I kept taking deferments. Clark, because of you, I went to consumer credit counseling. It was not easy, but I managed to get my debt paid off.

[Clark Howard]

Congratulations.

[Caller/Listener]

I slowly and carefully rebuilt my credit and used it responsibly. I bought a small house. I was a late starter in terms of retirement savings and didn't start contributing until I was 41. I made it my primary financial focus, upping my contribution every year. I also started saving in earnest. I did inherit a small amount when my mother passed away last year. It allowed me to retire two years before I had planned. Over the past four years, I've managed to pay off a 0% for five years total H Vac replacement, a HELOC that I took out to pay off my student loans because I could deduct the interest on that but not on the student loans, my used Kia, and every single one of my credit cards that kept a balance. Two weeks ago I paid the balance of my mortgage.

[Clark Howard]

Wow.

[Caller/Listener]

I just got to chill. I am 100% debt free. I have A few subscriptions charged to one credit card that amounts to $160 a month and it is paid off every month. I do make major purchases on it, but only to get the points and only if I know I can pay it off that month. My credit score is 8:50.

[Clark Howard]

Okay. I've never had a perfect score on the FICO.

[Caller/Listener]

I. Wow. I simply wanted you to know that I was not okay. I started listening to your advice and now I'm comfortably retired and completely debt free. I continue to read your daily newsletter and have kept so many of them for future reference. You did that, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I want everyone to know that it really is possible to get out of the hole if you stop digging.

[Clark Howard]

All right? So, Kitty, thank you for taking the time to write that, but you said something I disagree with. You said you did that referring to me. All I did was give you some ideas, maybe some inspiration, and let you know what was possible. And it didn't happen in a minute. It happened over time. And it required a complete change in mentality and how you approach money and then the discipline to save and invest. And so your story is an inspiration to someone else who maybe is in their 20s or 30s right now and they feel like they can never get ahead or older, never get ahead of their debts and that all they're doing is servicing those debts. You prove with a liberal arts degree that you were able to tackle all those responsibilities, student loans, everything, pay them off, build a life of independence, own everything free and clear and be able to retire even two years in your plan. And you're the one who did it. And I'm so glad that this happened in your life. And you don't know just by sharing your story, who else might think completely differently about money and what's possible and their life as well. Congratulations to you. I hope you're enjoying the independence that you have now. That perfect 850. Wow. And the retirement to spend your time doing what you want instead of what somebody says you have to do. What a great way to end today's podcast. Just know that what we're about is about not the quick fix, not the shortcut that I'm an incrementalist. I used to say I was the turtle, but I was corrected on Clark stinks. I'm actually a tortoise. But the point is slow and steady wins. And that's exactly what you did. And that's what's available to most of us. You set that roadmap. You follow it and you do it step by step and you turn the thing around, you change the situation. Love it. By the way, if there's something that's bugging you, you got a problem you don't know how to solve. Know that something we provide is one on one free advice consultation. It's something we've been doing since 1993. And so if you want some kind of guidance for something bugging you, go to clark.com cac and you'll see how to get that free one on one advice and guidance. Because what we're about in everything we do is about you being empowered with knowledge so you can save more, spend less, and make never, never, not ever get ripped off. We'll see you Friday with Clark Stink.